This publication presents a panorama of the health situation of Bolivian youth in indigenous communities, with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive health, and analyzes strategies to attend to the needs of indigenous youth with a view to shaping future policies.

Released as a CD-ROM containing a set of user-friendly tools, including 70 PowerPoint slides, a user’s manual, and additional resources, designed for use in developing and giving presentations on a range of sexual and reproductive health and rights topics. Content from the CD-ROM is enabled online.

This toolkit provides guidance for national civil society organizations (CSOs) interested in establishing or strengthening an alliance in support of maternal health advocacy. The toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to working with partners in a national-level alliance to advocate for maternal health policy change. Divided into three major sections, each provides steps CSOs can take in order to:

Analyze the maternal health environment in order to decide if working with an alliance is advantageous;

Work with an alliance by either joining an established alliance or creating a new one; and

Plan advocacy activities taking into account the political context and ways an alliance can effectively reach decision makers.

This educational manual (“Notes on the impact that public policies have on safe motherhood and the sexual and reproductive health of indigenous women”) explains the implications of public policies; the role of civil society in shaping public policies; what they consist of; and how they are designed, decided, implemented and monitored. It helps to foster the role of community health agents in ensuring that the demands of indigenous organizations translate into culturally pertinent public health policies.

This document is a guide for systematizing best practices in prevention of adolescent pregnancy, based on government and civil society experience. It describes a process conducted in 2008 and 2009 by Ministries of Health from the six member countries of the Andean Plan to Reduce Unwanted Teenage and Adolescent Pregnancy (Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela) to analyze their teen pregnancy initiatives using a best-practices lens, and outlines lessons learned.

These training modules, adapted from ¡Cuídate!: Una guía de salud y bienestar, were developed for use by Bolivian health care providers for counseling women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and mothers of children under two. They contain comprehensive information on sexual and reproductive health and maternal health, including the rights to health and services of this population.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the estimated maternal mortality ratio is 59 deaths per 100,000 live births. Overall, the LAC region has seen a reduction of its MMR by 39% between 1990 and 2015.Efforts to strengthen data and accountability, especially in recent years, have helped fuel this improvement. In 2015, the Regional Task Force for Maternal Mortality Reduction (GTR) released an updated version of the Guidelines for Maternal Death Surveillance and Response in the Americas to assist national efforts to identify and timely notify all maternal deaths, followed by review of their causes (maternal death reviews) and the implementation of actions to prevent future deaths. These case studies, which complement the guidelines, were conducted in five countries that have made the greatest strides in improving their maternal mortality surveillance and response systems: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica and Mexico. They are targeted to maternal mortality surveillance systems managers, and are meant to foster greater national proficiency in maternal morbidity and mortality monitoring and response.

This Spanish-language publication reviews the efforts of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health (MOH) to better adapt its maternal health policies and programs to Ecuador’s multicultural and multiethnic context.

This publication, produced by FCI/Ecuador, ECUARUNARI, Interarts and FLACSO, with the support of AECID and the technical assistance of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, presents the results of a survey on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of indigenous communities regarding HIV in Ecuador.

A set of seven briefs, available in English, French, and Spanish, that outline challenges and solutions for increasing the availability and use of three essential maternal health medicines (oxytocin, misoprostol and magnesium sulfate), drawing on lessons and experience from reproductive health supplies.

The Focus on 5 briefing cards, produced by Women Deliver in consultation with Family Care International, outline why decision-makers should prioritize saving mothers’ and newborns’ lives and the key investments they should make in order to achieve that goal. Designed for use by policymakers, civil society groups, and advocates, Focus on 5 details why the world needs to invest now in maternal, newborn, and reproductive health and the strategic actions needed to improve vital health services for mothers and their newborns in the developing world.

Flip chart addresses changes during puberty, STIs including HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, and unsafe abortion, as well as negotiating condom use, building healthy relationships, and communicating with parents.

This Spanish-language guide is a tool to assess the unmet sexual and reproductive health needs of indigenous and rural young people; community groups involve youth directly in identifying their priorities and key issues. Results and recommendations from the application of the guide in rural communities of Panama and Bolivia are also available.

Developed as part of the project “Cultural factors to prevent the spread of HIV among indigenous women in Ecuador,” this publication analyses public policies related to HIV and indigenous populations in Ecuador from an intercultural perspective.

This CD-ROM, created by Family Care International and Ipas, is a comprehensive advocacy and information tool that includes everything needed to learn about unsafe abortion and make presentations on this topic.

This infographic highlights the critical role that midwives play in improving maternal and newborn health around the world. Midwives have a powerful voice in changing policies and practices that support the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of health services.

This publication is a tool for groups, organizations or individuals who want to engage in advocacy to promote the exercise of reproductive rights, in particular the prevention of unwanted teen pregnancies. The tool is intended to support, not only advocacy and communications strategies to influence public policy and participation, but also to foster citizenship, and expand the culture of democracy and human rights. It was prepared under the Andean Plan for the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy (PLANEA).

The WHO guidelines on Preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in developing countries have been translated into Spanish by FCI with funding from UNFPA and WHO. These guidelines focus on two sets of key actions that aim to reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies in developing countries. The first set of actions seeks to prevent early pregnancy by preventing marriage before 18 years of age, increasing knowledge and understanding the importance of pregnancy prevention, increasing the use of contraception and preventing coerced sex. The second set of actions seeks to prevent poor reproductive outcomes by reducing unsafe abortions and by increasing the use of skilled antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care.

This Spanish-language publication, developed by FCI Bolivia, offers information on national and international legislation regulating cultural rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, women's rights, and health rights.

This toolkit, available in English, French and Spanish, is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and capacity of midwives, and of their national midwifery associations, to conduct advocacy for positive policy change. using evidence published in The State of the World's Midwifery (SoWMy) 2014 report.

This advocacy curriculum, developed in the Dominican Republic and pre-tested with youth networks in Argentina and Peru, is designed to foster the involvement of young people in public policy discussions and strengthen their demands for rights-based sexual and reproductive health laws at the local level.

Developed jointly by FCI, QAP and the Minister of Health of Ecuador, this manual intends to help health care managers facilitate a dialogue with mothers and traditional birth attendants to identify changes that can make facility-based delivery more acceptable to expectant mothers.

In 2010 and 2011, Family Care International conducted mappings in five regions: Francophone West Africa, East Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and South Asia. These mappings identified the major policy challenges and opportunities related to introducing and improving access to misoprostol for preventing and/or treating postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Each document is available in English; when relevant to the region, they are available in French and Spanish as well.

To target the most affected populations with life-saving maternal health policies and programs, governments need accurate information about maternal mortality in their countries. Unfortunately, measuring maternal deaths is not a simple task. National statistics on maternal mortality vary considerably from internationally published maternal death estimates. This paper, available in English and Spanish, seeks to explain and compare the various approaches to measuring maternal mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean and the reason behind the different results.

The Regional Task Force for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality (GTR) gathered more than 80 women leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean at the Regional Conference of Women Leaders: "Maternal death: breaking the silence, adding our voices" (Lima, Peru, May 27-28, 2010). The report includes key presentations and statements as well as the final declaration. (Available in Spanish.)

Developed by Family Care International and Gynuity Health Projects, the Misoprostol for Postpartum Hemorrhage Information Kit contains a range of informational publications and briefing cards onthe potential role of a widely available drug (misoprostol) in reducing deaths from postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death and disability in developing countries. All publications are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Misoprostol for Postpartum Hemorrhage: Questions and Answers for Policy Makers provides information about misoprostol’s critical role in preventing and treating postpartum bleeding or hemorrhage (PPH), one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide. Misoprostol, a medicine initially developed to prevent stomach ulcers, is often the best available option for preventing and treating PPH in many low-resource countries, and may be a woman’s only chance for surviving PPH.

This publication, available in English and French, presents case studies from three countries — Bangladesh, Nepal, and Zambia — that have introduced and scaled up the use of misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). These country examples highlight the essential role of high-level commitment and support in initiating and implementing national programs, and provide inspiration and guidance for policy makers and partners seeking to expand access to misoprostol for PPH.

These publications present the results of the national participatory workshops conducted in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, as part of the project “Indigenous Women: Health and Rights”, funded by UNFPA and the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID).

“Indigenous women: sexual rights and reproductive rights” aims to meet the demand from Ecuadorian indigenous women and organizations for information about their sexual and reproductive rights, as guaranteed by the 2008 Constitution and other laws. It focuses on the indigenous perspective of “Good living” (Buen vivir), a physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual wellness, an integrated wholeness that is not limited to the absence of sickness.

"Opportunities and Challenges for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean" is a call for decision makers in international organisms, governments, and civil society organizations to unite and coordinate efforts to reduce maternal mortality in the region, and constitutes an invitation to join the efforts of the Regional Task Force on Maternal Mortality Reduction (GTR).

FCI, UNFPA, and the Bolivian institution, Mesa de Maternidad y Nacimiento Seguros (Group for Safer Pregnancy and Childbirth) , have developed this publication to present recent data about maternal health in Bolivia. It includes causes of deaths, sexual and reproductive education, abortion, and availability of health services in nine different regions of the country.

FCI Ecuador and partners developed this publication to analyze maternal mortality from the perspective of gender inequity, social injustice, and poverty, and propose effective mechanisms and strategies for its reduction.

Nearly 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth annually, almost all of them in developing countries. After a systematic review of the evidence, WHO has developed guidelines on Preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents in developing countries, which focus on key actions that aim to reduce the number of adolescent pregnancies in developing countries. In 2012, in collaboration with WHO and UNFPA, FCI developed this advocacy toolkit, available in English, French, and Spanish, to promote the dissemination of the guidelines’ recommendations to policy makers and program planners globally. Designed for advocates, the toolkit encourages and enables evidence-based action among decision-makers, opinion leaders, medical personnel, researchers, and affected communities to prevent early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescent girls.

This document demonstrates the importance of expanding prevention efforts to underserved areas in the Amazonian District of Pando, located in the Bolivian lowlands between Brazil and Peru. The project includes an assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to HIV and AIDS in five indigenous communities.

Evidence shows that investing in the capacity of midwives to provide high quality skilled delivery care translates into positive health outcomes for women, newborns, families, and communities. This report describes the actions taken by UNFPA, the International Confederation of Midwives, FCI, and partners to strengthen the role and competencies of professional midwives in the Latin America and Caribbean region. It begins with an overview of the key challenges faced in the region, followed by a description of the initiative’s main strategies and concluding with the partnership’s key achievements and lessons learned over the last three years, and recommendations for the future.

This collection of articles in Spanish, originally published in English in the reputed scientific magazine “The Lancet”, addresses the most pressing issues related to maternal survival and sexual and reproductive health in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Lancet, a premiere health journal, produced two special editions in 2006 on the important topics of Maternal Survival and Sexual and Reproductive Health. FCI also produced an Executive Summary for the Maternal Survival Series.

This document is a detailed report of the technical meeting Integrating Cultural Pertinence to Maternal Health Norms, held in Quito in September 2010.The meeting aimed at analyzing how recent culturally-pertinent maternal health norms issued by health authorities in Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, as well as by Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, have contributed to improve access among indigenous women seeking maternal care in public health services.

Helps young people make informed decisions about their sexual lives by providing comprehensive information for adolescents on changes during puberty, sexuality and sexual health, pregnancy and contraception, STIs including HIV/ AIDS, sexual coercion and violence, substance abuse, building healthy relationships, communicating with parents, and planning for the future. The manual has been developed in fivelanguages and six different versions reflecting the regional contexts and the unique challenges facing adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.